Three friends attempt to complete each game in their entire PC games catalogue in alphabetical order, with only one life per game. Which games will they clock? Which will they fail miserably? Which ones will even install after all these years? One chance, one life, no mistakes.

Monday, 21 January 2013

Aquaria - Episode III: Revenge of the Fish

In my previous fishy adventure, you may recall I got murked by a fat fish, whom I designated "Tubbs". After becoming a fire daemon fish lady, I was determined to get my revenge. It would be the last time Tubbs bullied the ocean folk. I was to be the hero of Home Springs.

We meet again.

I sized Tubbs up, before unleashing a torrent of fiery death his/her way.

Take this! and that! and this!!

Tubbs flashed red, he/she tried to escape. Then he/she became a bubble.

YES! IN YOUR FACE...oh.

Well. That was underwhelming. I didn't even get back the seeds he/she ate. I guess I'm still the hero of Home Springs...

Anyhow. Back to the quest. Which is... erm. I can't really remember. I start by swimming through the myriad of underground cave networks in Home Springs. Each area is pretty much empty, give or take a few food ingredients and enemies. I revisit the Energy Temple. But don't really find anything worth writing about.

In my desperation, I swim all the way back to the start of the game. There's a rock, which I can drag with my song, which, after dislodging, reveals a spiky object. After interacting with the object, I'm told its a seed for my flat....

A...seed?

All that way for just a seed. Ugh, I swim on. I must have been swimming around aimlessly for at least 20 minutes now. I stumble across Michelle. Maybe I have to defeat her in mortal combat to proceed further in the game?

I swim towards her and morph to daemon mode. Well, that's what I had intended to do. Instead I picked up a rock. Song fail. This time I use the right note combination. We begin to duel.

Her super strong shell repels all of my fire assaults, though she can take damage in the face; I concentrate my attacks there. Weirdly the rock I'm dragging round is actually proving to be of assistance. Occasionally Michelle dives at me and hits the rock, taking damage. Noob.

She starts to flash red at one point, I know the fight is nearly over.

Rock + Fishwoman beats fish thing hiding inside rock...

After destroying Michelle, I adopt her offspring, which feels very strange. The baby nautilus helps me out in battle, so it's all cool I think. Though it's gonna be awkward when we eventually have to have "the talk"....

So er....I'm err...about your parents...lets get some ice cream eh!

No hint of story progression though.

Finally.......I find a pearl that fits a orb slot thing, that opens a door when I fill it with fire. I swim on to "Open Waters". Yay!

I'm not entirely sure where I'm meant to go...first I seem to swim into a fish graveyard, that has a humanoid skeleton with a crown on it.

Elvis

Then I swim to a foresty area with ill tempered sea horse. I kill it, then depart.

So angry...

I discover the ruins of an ancient underwater city. I can enter some of the houses, and by doing so I find a few more recipes. I enter one house, and get to see a flash back!

Great Underwater Bake Off.

This confirms it then. Not only is this where my passion for creating fajitas comes from, it's also where I came from. This backs up the early theory I had, when I saw the fishy people statues. Even more so after that long inner monologue about being able to discover my true origins. I'm dead smart me.

I swim about a bit more and find an cathedral, which seems to have seen better days. There's weird pulsating flesh attached to the walls, which looks very familiar to another game...probably best not touch it.

I swim deeper into the cathedral and discover this ballbag.

Eyes to meet you! (Urgh.....sorry.)

Ewww. The music gets a bit tenser, bit more bossy like and it all kicks off. If I sling a few fire balls at its eyes, it fires a laser beam back. I avoid it with ease and return fire. Nothing really happens, but it doesn't take me long to realise that I need all its eyes to be firing before I can damage it.

Et voilà. It's down. I took a bit of damage in the fight, but now that I remember I have my shield, I seem to be doing much better. After it dies, a tentacle is removed from a gateway I've not even seen yet. Two tentacles remain, which means two more of these things to fight.

After trashing some pots and having a sit down....

Resting up.

...I discover the last two eye ball bags in separate areas and repeat my earlier attacks. They perish and now that gateway is clear. I just need to find it...

Sure enough, it's in the one area I haven't been yet. I seem to have done this the wrong way round. I guess I was meant to find this first...then wonder how to open it. I guess I'm too efficient. This gateway leads me to a series of strong currents, full of the same pulsating flesh. This must be leading to the "heart" of the cathedral corruption. Which can only mean one thing.

After the currents stop, I'm allowed to rest. Based on my efforts the last time round, I decide its best to stock up on food for the impending boss battle. In this play through I have learnt how to make the following:

Although it doesn't sound it, the Tough Cake is best thing I can make. It gives me +2 to health and +1 to defence. The perfect meal for a boss battle so I make three cakes worth. I peruse my recipe book and make a few other treats. Then this.

WHAT?!

Right.

So.....what happens now?

Is that my play though done?

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This is something we didn't think of when setting up this blog. I guess we just assumed the computer would kill us before we'd encounter any bugs!

However, It's a good place to stop for today (I've sunk about 2hrs into it...most of which was swimming in circles)

What do you think awesome reader? I should continue on, right? You want to hear more about the recipes I collect don't you??!

9 comments:

Damn you, 1's and 0's! I actually find this game interesting, and might even give it a go myself. As to the continuation of the playthrough... are you really going to let some douchebag 1's and 0's steal your chance of beating the game, and thus beating the system? :D

Aquaria is one of those games I always intended to go back to when I had time, which is probably when I retire at this point... and yes, do continue! You've gotten further than I did, it'll be interesting to see where the game goes!